Heel-assembling machine



April 3, 1928. 1,664,639

E. R. POPE HEEL ASSEMBLING momma Filed F519, 5. $926 2 sheets-sheet 1 April 3, 1928. V

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1mm. ASSEMBLING mcnma eetseat u LLwv Il a 1 r R w w Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

IJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER R. POPE, OF HAMILTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MIA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed February This invention relates to heel assembling machines of the type in which two or more lifts or heel sections are assembled, to form a heel unit which may be itself either a complete heel or an assembled section to be combined with still another heel part.

The object of the invention is to produce an improved heel assembling machine which shall be simple and compact in construction and, at the same time, capable of easy and rapid operation, whereby increased production may be secured at less expense for ma-' chinery, labor and factory space than. has heretofore been necessary.

An important feature of the invention, contributing to the accomplishment of the above stated object, consists in the combination with two assembling forms of a separate, manually operable, pressure applying pad for each form, the'two pads being so interconnected that when one pad is moved into position to apply assembling pressure to a heel in the form with which said pad is associated the other pad will automatically be moved away from the other form, to release a previously assembled heel which has been held under pressure therein. This feature of the invention may readily be embodied in a very compact duplex mechanism requiring only a small amount of space and inasmuch as only a single, easy movef ment by'the operator isneeded to apply assembling pressure to one heel and release from pressure a previously assembled and pressed heel, the operation of the mechanism is rapid and the production of work is correspondingly large.

Another feature of improvement, which further reduces the effort required from the operator and increases the speed of operation, consists in the provision of spring means,,operable when a relative movement of a pressure pad and an assembling form is for quickly completing the relative movement. In the illustrative machine herein shown the pressure pad is movable about a pivot and is under the influence of a tensioned spring which moves across the axis of the pivot when the pad is moved either toward or away from the form. The spring thus tends to hold the pad in either of its extreme positions and causes a very quick completion of the movement of manually initiated,

HEEL-ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

3, 1926. Serial No. 85,681.

the pad to either of said positions when it is initially moved manually sufficiently to cause the spring to pass the pivot axis.

Theinvention is herein illustrated as embodiedin a compact, quick acting bench machine for assembling rubber heels and bases into unit heels preparatory to their attachment to shoes by the single nailing method. The outer face of the base and the inner face of the rubber lift are coated with cement which, in the usual case of rubber cement, is allowed partially to dry. The assembly is then effected by bringing the two cemented surfaces into engagement and pressing them together. It is important that when the sections of the heel are first brought into contact they shall occupy the desired relative positions, for the nature of the cement renders it difficult to vary or correct the relationship of the two sections after contact is made. Moreover, it is desirable, in the interest of accurate assembly, that the rubber heel section be held in a holder which confines all its edges against expansion when the assembling pressure is applied, while the machine must be readily adaptable to operation upon heels of various sizes.

A further feature of the invention, which is valuable in this connection, consists in the combination, with a manually operable pressure pad, of a'readily removable rubber section holder having a fixed receiving cavity, and a permanent base section holder, which is adjustable to'hold heel bases of different sizes in predetermined register with the cavities in different rubber sectionholders. In changing from heels of one size or shape to another, then, it is only necessary to replace the removable holder with one having the required cavity and Y adjust the permanent holder to accommodate the corresponding heel base. 7

Other features of the invention and advantages derived therefrom will become apparent by reading the following detailed de-' scription of one. illustrative embodiment of the invention, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which, I

Fig. l-is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2is a front elevation; and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

Reforring'now to the drawings, 10 indicates a base or frame member provided wlth feet 12 which may support the machine upon a bench.

The machine, as shown, is constructed in duplex form and, in its general organization, comprises two heel assembling forms placed side by side and as close together as possible, each form having associated with it a pressure applying pad which is arranged to press and. hold together the heel sections which have been assembled manually in the form. Inasmuch as the assembling forms are substantially alike in mechanical construction, differing only in the right and left arrangement of the adjustment controls, it will be sufiicient to describe one of the forms in detail, it being understood that this description is equally applicable to both forms.

The base 10 is provided with a pair of parallel grooves 16 arranged to receive and support a rubber heel section holder 18 which is of one-piece construction and has a fixed heel section receiving cavity the walls of which are formed to fit exactly the periphery of the rubber heel for which the particular holder is design-ed. The holder 18 is normally stationary and is held accurately in position by a spring pressed latch 20 which may be easily released by slight pressure of the linger, whereupon the holder 18 is instantly removable from the machine by simply sliding it rearwardly out of the grooves 16. The object in making the holder 18 readily and instantly removable from the machine is to facilitate its replacement by another similar holder having a cavity of different sizeor shape to receive a rubber heel section of different size orshape.

The base 10 is also provided with a pair of parallel overhanging straight ledges or flanges 22 which extend forwardly and rearwardly of the machine and serve as guides for a back gag-e 24 which is slidably mounted thereon. Formed upon the back gage member are racks 26 (see Fig. 3) engaged by pinions 28 upon a shaft 30 which has, at its outer end, a manually operable adjusting knob 32. By turning the knob 32 the shaft 30 and pinions 28 are rotated and the back gage 24, which is positioned above the fixed holder 18, is adjusted forwardly or rearwardly relatively to the heel section receiving cavity in said fixed holder. The proper adjustment having been secured, a binding screw 34, threaded through the back gage member 24 and bearing upon the stationary guiding flange 22, is tightened in order to preserve the adjustment of the back gage and hold it stationary during the normal use of the machine.

The back gage 24 is one element of an adjustable heel base section holder which is a permanent part of the machine, in which respect it differs from the non-adjustable holder 18 which is readily removable and is retail projection 38 (see Fig. 2) on its under side is mounted to move freely forwardly and rearwardly of the machine in a corresponding dovetail guide formed in the base 10.. A. compression spring 40, housed in a recess in the base 10, bears upon a pin 42 projecting downwardly from the slide 36 and tends to move said slide rearwardly, toward the back gage 24. Two blocks 44 are guided for transverse movement upon the slide 36 and are adjusted equally and oppositely, toward or from each other, by a right and left screw 46 which has, at its outer end, a manually operable knob 48.

Upon each block 44 is a lug 50 arranged to engage the breast edge of the heel base section near one of its sides. By reason of the spring tension upon the slide 36 the lugs 50, engaging the breast edge of the base section, press said base section into engagement with the back gage 24. Thus, the longitudinal relation between the base section'and the rubber section which has been placed in the cavity in the holder 18 is accurately predetermined.

In order to determine the transverse relation between the ,two heel sections twov side gages 52 are provided. These side gages are respectively mounted upon the blocks 44 for movement in a horizontal plane about pivots 54., and are'provided with extension arms 56 having near their ends slots 58 which cross each other. Passing through the crossed slots 58 is an upright pin 60 which is carried by a small slide 62 guided to move forwardly and rearwardly of the slide 36 by a dovetail connection. A compression spring 64, housed in a recess in the slide 36, bears against. a pin 66 projecting downwardly from the slide 62 and tends to move said slide toward the front edge of the slide 36. By reason of the pin and slot connection between the slide 62 and the extension arms 56, which are connected to the side gages 52, the said side gages are constrained to move equally and oppositely and the tendency of the spring 64 is to cause them to move toward each other. Adjustment of the initial separation of the side gages is effected by turning the knob 48 and the tension of the spring 64 is such as to permit the side gages to yield when a heel base section is pushed between them but to. cause them to center the base section transversely when the operator removes his hand.

For the purpose of applying assembling pressure there is associated with each assembling form a pressure applying pad 68 which is carried by a swinging arm 7 0 secured to a horizontal rock shaft 72. The path of movement of the pressure applying pad 68 is such that it may be moved manually toward or away from the assembling form by grasping a handle 74 upon the arm 70. The shafts 72 carrying the two arms are separate from each other but are connected by gearing 76 (see Fig. 1) in such a manner that the arms, and the pads carried thereby, move equally and oppositely. Therefore, when one pad moved toward its assembling form the other pad is automatically moved away from its form.

In order to quicken the operation of the machine spring means is provided for completing the movement of the pad 68 into engagement with a heel in the form when an initial movement toward the form is manually imparted to the pad. This spring means consists of a tension spring 78 one end of which is attached at 80 to a stationary portion 82 of the base 10 and the other end of which is attached at '84 to the arm 70. The attaching points 80 and 84 are so selected that the spring 78 lies at one side of the axis of the shaft 72 when the pressure applying pad 68 is in one of its extreme positions and at the other side at the axis of said shaft when the pad is at its other extreme position. The spring 78, therefore, tends to hold the pad in either of its extreme positions and, when an initial movement toward the form is manually imparted to the pad, quickly completes the movement of the pad into engagement with a heel in the form. In the illustrated machine each of the arms 70 is provided with a spring 7 8 but, inasmuch as the arms are positively connected by gearing, it is apparent that substantially the same operation would occur if one of these springs were omitted and the strength of the other increased sufficiently.

In order to loosen the assembled heel from the form, and at least partially to eject it, there is provided an ejecting plunger 86 operated by a lever 88 upon a horizontal rock shaft 90 to which is secured a cam lever 92 actuated by a cam 9a (see Fig. 3) upon the shaft 72. The cam 94 and the cam lever 92 co-operate to elevate the ejector 86 when the arm 70 is thrown backward and then to allow the ejector to descend under the influence of a spring 96, to permit the next heel to be assembled in the form.

In the operation of the machine suitable holders 18, to fit the rubber heel sections to be operated upon, are inserted in the forms and the necessary adjustments of the base section holder are made by manipulating the knobs 32 and 48, the set screws 84 being tightened to preserve the adjustment of the back gages 24. The rubber heel sections and the base sections are supplied to the operator with the inner face of the rubber section and the outer face of the base section coated with rubber cement which has been allowed partially to dry. The operator inserts a rubber heel section, cemented side up, in the cavity of the holder 18 of the assembling form whose pressure pad 68 is away from the form. He then inserts in the base section holder, above the rubber section holder, a heel base with its cemented side down. This is accomplished by pushing, the breast end of the base forward between the yielding side gages 52 and against the breast engaging lugs50 until the slide 36 yields forward,

against the spring 40, sufficiently to allow the rear end of the base to drop down in front of the back gage 24. The operator then grasps the handle 74 and moves it forward. As soon as the spring 7 8 has passed the axis of the shaft 72 the pressure applying pad 68 is quickly moved into engagement with the base section of the assembled heel, pressing it down firmly into contact with the rubber section and causing the cemented surfaces of the two sections to adhere to each other.

By reason of the connection between the two pressure applying pads 68, the movement which has just been imparted to one of the pads causes the other pad automatically to leave a previously assembled heel in the other form and the said previously assembled heel is lifted from the form by the ejector 86. lVhen the last mentioned heel has been removed the second form is exposed ready to receive another heel. The heels are thus assembled alternately in the two forms of the duplex machine with great rapidity andonly a single easy movement by the operator is needed to apply assembling pressure to each heel and, at the same time, release from pressure the previously assembled and pressed heel.

I-Iaving described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. A duplex heel assembling machine, comprising two heel shaped asembling forms, and a separate, manually operable, pressure applying pad for each form. said pads being respectively movable toward and away from the forms and being so connected to each other that movement of one pad toward one form causes movement of the other pad away from the other form.

2. A duplex heel assembling machine, comprising two heel shaped assembling forms, a separate pressure applying pad for each form, said pads being respectively movable toward and away from the forms and being so connected to each other that movement of one pad toward one form causes movement of the other pad away from the other form, and a spring so connected to each pad as to tend to hold said pad in either of its extreme positions.

3. A duplex heel assembling machine,

comprising two heel shaped assembling forms, and two manually operable, pressure applying pads movable toward and away from the respective forms, said pads being geared together for equal and opposite movement, whereby actuation of one pad toward its form "auses the other pad to move away from its form.

I 4. A quick acting heel assembling machine, comprising an assembling form, a manually operable pressure applying pad pivoted for movement over and away from the form, and spring means movable across the axis of the pivot for quickly moving the pad into engagement with a heel in the form when an initial movement toward the formis manually imparted to the pad.

5. Aquick acting heel assembling machine, comprising an assembling form a manually operable pressure applying pad movable over and away from the form and spring means, operable when an initial movement toward the form is manually imparted to the pad, for quickly completing the movement of the pad into engagement with a heel in the form.

6. A quick acting heel assembling machine, comprising an assembling form and a pressure pad capable of relative movement, and spring means, operable when a relative movement of the form and pad is manually initiated, for quickly completing said relative movement.

7. In a heel assembling machine, the combination of a readily removable holder having a heel section receiving cavity of fixed size, a non-removable holder which is adjustable in size for holding a second heel section in predetermined register with said cavity and a manually operable pressure applying pad movable into engagement with said second heel section to press it upon a heel section in said cavity.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ELMER R. POPE. 

